Positive Pion Production by Polarized Bremsstrahlung

By selecting bremsstrahlung produced in a 0.003-in. aluminum radiator at a small angle from the original electron direction, a beam of polarized bremsstrahlung has been obtained from the Stanford linear accelerator. The variation of the polarization and intensity with angle has been studied and compared with theoretical predictions. The polarized beam has been used to study ${\pi }^{+}$-meson production at 90° c.m. angle and photon energies of 242, 296, 337, and 376 Mev. The ratio of meson production along and at right angles to the electric field vector has been measured and compared with the values predicted by the relativistic dispersion relation.